Karma
by Blu Rose
Summary: Karma deemed what a person would be upon their rebirth based on their deeds in their last life. In Itachi's case...he was a cat.


**I noticed this fic amongst the others I had saved and transferred back to my computer after a major reformatting. I highly doubt I'm going to ever start up Naruto X again (sadly), so I may as well post some of the extra stuff I had laying around…for the sake of cleaning up.**

_Disclaimer: Blu Rose does not own Naruto or any of its characters. She only owns her OCs and this fic._

**X-X-X**

**Omake: Karma**

Karma had a major role to play in the universe. It decided whether a person would be reborn in the next life as an immortal, a human being, or even something as lowly as a bug based on their deeds in life. So it goes without saying that karma and the will of the universe in general hated Uchiha Itachi. Maybe it had something to do with killing his entire family or using powerful genjutsu suggestions on his younger brother that may or may have had a hand in making him become obsessed with revenge, power and hatred for the majority of his youth, or having Uzumaki Naruto promise to do what he couldn't do for his brother for the sole sake of keeping his clan well-respected when they shouldn't have… Whatever it was, it must've been horrible in the eyes of the Shinigami if it gave him such a fate…

"Good kitty, kitty… Nice kitty, kitty…" Said one of the four little kids around him that stroked his head, petted his back and scratched his stomach in such a way that it was hard to resist the urge to purr. Yes, the universe decided that for everything he'd done in his last life, Itachi would live with it for the rest of his new one…as a cat. He supposed he should be grateful for the fact that he didn't wind up as something further down the food chain, like a fly or a worm—like a few other members of the Akatsuki.

Kitty Itachi tried his best not to break down under the kids ticklish touches. Damn his feline body…! Eventually, the petting fest evolved into a four-way tug of war—with Itachi as the rope. Each one wanted to play with the black-furred, black-eyed cat themselves, and they'd pretty much kill (the cat) over it. It wasn't until he gave a shrill yowl that a shadow overcast the four children.

"What are you kids doing?" Their grandfather Sasuke asked as he looked down lazily at the kids. Yes, that old man was Itachi's beloved little brother and those little hellions that had been pulling him apart were Itachi's grandnephews and grandniece.

"Nothing…" The 3-year olds Kagetsu, Tsumugari, Murakumo and Saku spoke with innocent looks in their eyes.

"Hmph…" Sasuke bent over, gripping the head of his cane with one hand, and picked up Itachi by the scruff of his neck, much to the reincarnated Uchiha's dismay. "If you're not going to learn to play nice, you can't play with the cat."

"Awww…!" The kids moaned and pouted, tears welling up in their eyes.

"But we love the kitty!" Saku cried out.

"Can't we play with him, Grandpa? Please, please, please?" Kagetsu exclaimed.

"We won't hurt him this time!" Tsumugari added.

"Yo!" Everyone—including Itachi—looked up at the rooftop where Kira was sitting in a crouched position waving down. "Mornin' everybody!"

"Uncle Kira!" The triplets exclaimed as they waved their arms excitedly in the air, immediately forgetting about Itachi as the black-and-white-haired man jumped down and landed next to them.

"Hmph." Sasuke looked at the little black cat with an uninterested look. "Dumb stray." He dropped the little black cat on the floor and walked down the hall, leaving Kira and the kids be.

Itachi's ears twitched subconsciously as he padded after his not-so-little brother. His brother never paid attention to nor really cared for the cat, calling him an annoying stray and pushing him aside with his cane. Not like his wife, who would leave out leftovers when she came home from work, and his grandchildren, who'd pet and scratch him if he came close to them. And yet, he couldn't keep away from him. Maybe it was because of how much he loved him in his last life and still longed for some form of closure for his part in making Sasuke go through what he had to. Or maybe he was starting to act more like a cat and follow his feline instincts, preferring the company of people who ignored him—like his damned infatuation with clawing at Hanzo's clothes that carried the scent of catnip on some days and his awful habit of chasing and eating any mice that managed to sneak into the mansion.

Either way, he supposed he deserved it for helping Madara gain control of Sasuke by not telling him the truth earlier and the way he tried to motivate him to become stronger—whether or not he intended to get those results. He was still happy to see that his little brother was safe and alive, and had lived to a ripe old age so few shinobi reached. So he'd endure it until the time came for him to pass over and his sins were repaid.

"Continue," Sasuke said as he sat down on the veranda once more, gesturing for Hanzo to continue.

"What happened?" The younger Uchiha asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Dumb kids were gonna kill that dumb cat," the elder grumbled just as said cat came up to his side and curled up next to him. He grabbed Itachi by the scruff of his neck and dropped him at his feet. The little black cat was a bit ruffled at the high drop, looking up at Sasuke and meowing. All he got in exchange was a blank stare before his little brother turned his attention back to Hanzo. Itachi blinked before going up next to Sasuke's feet and curling up. His brother poked him in the side with the foot of his cane hard enough to make the reincarnated Uchiha yelp and hide beneath the veranda.

Itachi started to wonder once more how long a cat's lifespan was and his chances of living that long around his relatives…

**X-X-X**

**A Review would be nice.  
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